Three simple steps for food scrap collection

Place your kitchen compost container in a convenient location in your kitchen. You can line your container with approved liners.

Include the food! Collect food scraps while preparing meals, scraping plates and cleaning the fridge of leftovers - every little bit counts.

Empty your kitchen container, including the liner, into your green Portland Composts! roll cart as frequently as you like. Place your green roll cart out for weekly pickup.

YES — put these items in your green compost roll cart

Food scraps

meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, bones

eggs and eggshells, cheese, dairy products

bread, baked goods, pasta, rice, beans, nuts, seeds

coffee grounds, filters, tea bags

vegetables and fruit

paper napkins and paper towels

pizza delivery boxes

table scraps, plate scrapings, leftovers, spoiled food

Yard debris

weeds, leaves, vines, grass

small branches (less than 4 in thick and 36 in long)

flowers

house plants

plant clippings

pumpkins

NO – keep these items out of your compost roll cart

plastic and produce bags

non-approved compostable plastic bags

compostable plastic takeout containers and utensils

paper plates, cups and cartons

coffee cups

fast food wrappers, packaging, takeout containers and waxed paper

facial tissue

pet waste

cat litter

animal bedding (including straw and chicken manure)

animal carcasses from hunting and fishing waste

large amounts of grease, cooking oil and liquid

fireplace ashes

dirt, rocks, sod

lumber, treated wood, sawdust, stumps

large branches (more than 4 in thick or 36 in long)

Styrofoam™, metal and glass

corks

diapers (including those labelled "compostable" or "biodegradable")

textiles, clothing, linens, shoes

household garbage

Even if a plastic product says “compostable,” please leave it out.

Tips for your green roll cart

Use an optional liner in your kitchen container. You can contain food in an approved compostable bag, newspaper or a paper bag to keep your food scraps from touching the inside of your green roll cart.

Line the bottom of your green cart with newspaper, a paper bag or a pizza delivery box to help absorb moisture.

Layer food scraps in between yard debris to reduce odors and to contain messier foods.

Composting facilities

Yard debris and food scraps go to Oregon commercial composting facilities with specialized processes to quickly break down the organic matter - even meat scraps and bones. Compost from these businesses is sold to landscapers and other agricultural users and available to residents.

Finished compost can be purchased at the Recology facility in North Plains: Nature's Needs, 9570 NW 30th Avenue.

Extra yard debris

Green compost roll carts must be used first so drivers know to stop for collection. Additional yard debris cans, Kraft bags, or bundles should be placed near the roll cart. You will be charged $3.75 for each one you put out for collection. Extra yard debris can also be saved for your next pick up or taken to a compost facility or leaf depot. To use an extra can, bag or bundle:

32-Gallon Can

Weight limit: 55 lbs

Label can with yard debris sticker

30-Gallon Kraft Paper Bag (no plastic bags)

Weight limit: 45 lbs

Use a 30-gallon brown Kraft two-ply yard debris paper bag that you can buy at your local grocery or hardware store. These bags compost with the yard debris

Because Kraft bags are made from paper, avoid putting wet debris in the bottom of the bag

Keep in a dry place until pickup day to prevent the bottom from falling out

Bundles

Weight limit: 45 lbs

Bundles must be tied securely with string or twine. Do not tie with wire

Branches can not exceed 36 inches in length and 4 inches in diameter

Backyard composting

Composting turns your yard trimmings and vegetable scraps into a nutrient-rich soil amendment for your yard and garden. When used as mulch, compost will reduce your need to water. Use it to enhance the soil, make a potting mixture, or mulch around plants and shrubs. You can make your own compost bin, purchase one at your local garden center or from Metro at reduced rates.

Yard debris reduction tips

Grow a healthy lawn and garden and reduce your yard waste by grasscycling. Leaving grass clippings on the lawn after you mow reduces clean-up time and the need for fertilizer. Clippings decompose and send valuable nutrients back to the soil.

Mow frequently (every five to six days). Set your mower to cut at the recommended height for your type of lawn. Never shorten the grass by more than one-third.

Drop boxes larger than 3 cubic yards can be provided by your garbage and recycling company or any permitted company or drop box company.

Be sure to tell them the container is for yard debris only. There are specific weight limits for each container size and restrictions on the yard debris materials that can be placed in them. Be sure to get all the information and price quotes before delivery. Garbage or other restricted materials are not allowed in the drop box. You will incur additional charges if the container has to be taken to the transfer station for landfill disposal.